Lighting device



May 28, 1940. J. 0. WHITE- LIGHTING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 50, 1956 IH I H r. rk www w m W QQQ ljzgz/enfor Ma, A 5. M i

May 28, 1940. J. c. WHITE LIGHTING nEvicfi Filed Dec. 30, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 gins.ssmiaimmsssm nfi ji zuerzfiar L A; \ym W May 28, 1940. .1. c. WHITE LIGHTING DEVICE Filed Dec. 30. 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 by mi i mnlae- PATENT P ors ca 2,202,218 r manmc navica, Joseph ,0. whi e, Boston, Au'eea. White,

Boston, deceased Mam, 'exec'utrix of JoaephO. White,

Application p ei iso', 1e3s,fserie no. 1181211 r z Claims. ,ic'i. z t-sar r My invention relatesto devicesin whiclia light I s is reflected and especially to headlights and even more especially to headlights of the: automobile type; and the principal objects of my improve- 6 ment are, flrst, to eliminate completely theob-.'

' jectionable and dangerous glare, admittedly the caused many serious and .often fatal accidents;

and,- second, to concentrate all the available light, upon the road surface for a long distance, where 1oit is needed, to prevent overdriving the road beam, as is now done commonly, due to the high striking distance and beyond quick stoppage by braking. By my invention, substantially all the light, heretofore lost by passingupward above a horizontal plane which-is at the height of the top of the reflector, is now directed horizontally forward and, by gradually increasing'minute angles, is bent downward to tlie road surface in a. as-brilliant homogeneousbeam without shadows:

In the drawings form of my lighting unit removed froma COD-r ventional headlight casing shown in Figure 2;

Figure -2 is a-vertical section on line 2-2 of Fi ure Figure 3 is a vertical elevation" of themain or primary lens as viewed from reflector side of lighting unit;

.85 Figure 4 is a twice-size partial vertical section onlinel-lbfFigureii;

Figure 5 is a front elevation of secondary vor beam-spreading lens; r Figure 6 is a partial horizontal section on line i-"l of Figure 5;

Figure 'l'is an enlarged section of one of the lens ribs'l, Figures 2 and 4, showing its geometrical derivation, together with additional lens ribs showing light paths through same; Figure 8 is a partial front elevation of a modifled form-of my light unit, removed from conventional casing; I

Figure 9 is a horizontal section on line 9-9 of Figure 8; Figure '10 is a partial vertical section on line lQ-ill of Figure 8;

Figure 11 is a partial elevation of the lens ll, Figures 9'and 10; I I Figure 12 is a section on line 11-12 of Figure 11;

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the preferred Figure 13 is a front elevation of main le'ns, Figure 3, combined with secondary lens, Figure 5, in-amolded. one-piece glass lens;-

Figure14 isja section on line "-14, Figure 13;

T Figure 16 .is a twice-size partial section shown in Figure2, to clarify assembly of the detachable or insertable light unit; and

'17 is a side elevation of the diaphragm 8 removed from the light unit. 1 iii In the forms of my invention shown I use novel optical system by which practically all the light from the parabolic reflector I, Figure 2, is directed parallel with and upon the road surface, and no portion of the lightbeam can rise above 15 the normal height of the headlight body when said light is attached horizontally toan automobile. This height is approximately thirty-six inches above the road surface, in other words, no part of the total beam departing from the headlight opening can rise above a line parallel with. the horizontal axis of the reflector I, Figure 2, while; on the other hand, a considerable portion of the total beam is directed downward,

toward the road surface' at exceedingly small successive angles. a

' T0 accomplish this result I employ a lens (Figure 3) whose rear face 2 (Figure 4) is opposite,

and adjacent to, the mouth of reflector i (Figure 2). 1 This face 2 is formed with narrow hori-' 3o zontal ribs. 3, shown in enlarged cross section in Figure-4. Each rib has a form which is one-half the arc ofa circle of relatively large diameter, such as 2% inches, said are having a half-chord length, i. e. rib width, of. inch. In their dis-'38 .position horizontally across the face 2 of the lens, the radius of the circle of generation forms thebase 4, Figure'7, of the half-arc and is defined herein as the sagitta of said arc, the end of the arc i being upward, as shown. 40

These horizontal ribs are, in eflect, piano-convexcylindrically arcuate lenses having a radius of 4 1 inches with a resultant focal length of 2% inches, as shown twice size at 6, Figure 7. The narrowness' of each horizontal rib permits a large 45 number to be'formed onthe molded glass disc, Figure 3, all of the piano-convex cylindrically arcuate ribs having their foci t-located in the same plane, which plane is perpendicular to the axis of the reflector and therefore, at the same dis- 50' tance from the lens face 2, Figure 7, so that each elongated, diamond-shaped space I, between the fool is a shadedarea ,through' which nouseful lig ht passes except by diffusion. Y I "In the said space I I place a diaphragm 8, Fig- 5 Figure 1 5,isa'section on line lB-II, Figure 13; r.

pieces 21, l:, etc., Figures 2 and 'l, for the purpose of shielding the reflecting mirror surface I,

Figure 2, from the approaching observer whose 8 eyes are above the horizontal axis of the headlight. The tip 2 of opaque piece 21 and the tip ll of piece hcoincide with a horizontal line X-X (Figure 'i) which forms the base of each piano-convex half-cylinder lens rib, thus preventing any view of the reflector surfacel (Figure 2), unless the eyes of the observer are brought below the horizontal line parallel with the headlight horizontal 'axis and which forms the base of the topmost piano-convex half-cylinder lens rib. The diaphragm pieces ii, la, 2:, etc., lying, as they do, in the unlighted spaces between the foci, do not interfere. with any of the outgoing light rays which form the total beam, but are illumined faintly by diflusion.

The diaphragm 0, Figures 2 and 17, consists of two sheet metal rings to, lb to which are spotwelded at their ends, the pieces 21, I2, 2:, etc.

By means of the glass spreader lens ll, (Figure 2) and shown in elevation in Figure 5, the

compact screen figure produced by the primary lens, Figure 3, can be broadened to any desired width, depending upon the curvature of the vertical ribs l2, Figure 6. In so spreading the beam there is no change in the beam height, due to 39 the lens action of the lenticular ribs 2, Figures 4 and 7.

The lens shown in Figure 3 and the lens shown in Figure 5 may be consolidated in a single glass molding to produce a lens, Figure 13, with ribs 2 facing the reflecting surface I, Figure 2, and

- with the vertical ribs i2, Figures 8 and it, formed.

on the opposite side.

In order that the lighting unit (Figure 1) may be readily inserted in any suitable headlight casing, I mount the light unit elements, consisting of reflector I, primary lens 2, secondary lens ii and the diaphragm 8, Figure 2, in a cylindrical shell 2i (Figure 2) against the rear end of which is detachably mounted the reflector I by means 5 of spring hooks 22, 2211 held by screws 22b, 22c. The primary. lens (Figure 3) is-held in its holder 22 by the spring retaining ring 220 and the holder 22 is held in position in the shell 2|, by

screws 24, 24a. The shell 21 is shouldered by enlargement 25 and this enlargement terminates in a flange 25a to which is fastened by screws 7 28, 26a the diaphragm front ring 8b, while the diaphragm back ring in presses against and holds flrmly the secondary glass lens- I l against the shell seat 25. To the shell flange 26 is cemented,

preferably, the cork gasket 21 which seals the joint between flange 25a and headlight casing 22 when the headlight casing rim 2! is attached to casing 28 by the means provided by the menu- 00 .facturer of that particular headlight case body. To clarify this assembly, I show in Figure 16 a twice-size partial section on line 2-2 (Figure 1). By this method of mounting the lighting unit in a self-contained, removable shell 2|, it

65. makes possible the easy adaptation of said unit,

(Figure 1), to existing headlight bodies. simply by detaching casing rim 2!, removing the old reflector and old glass lens and inserting the new unit, including the plain glass dust cover II 70 which is cemented, preferably, to the diaphragm ring 2b with anlintervening gasket 21, made of paper or other suitable material.

By extending the front edges of angularly disposed diaphragmplatesls, Figures 2 and 17, 1g and bending said extended front edges downward at several angles varying from 18 to 25 the lower portion of the total beam is bent to illumine the roadway immediately in front of the automobile, as shown by rays 22, Figure 2.

InFigureiiIshowamodifled form ofmyin- 6 ventiorl in which the spreader lens Ila, Figure 11, whose vertical ribs l2, Figure 12, face'the reflector ll. This lens is formed with pianoconvex vertical cylindrical ribs i2 whose foci ll are in the same vertical plane, said plane being 1 perpendicular-to the'axis of the reflector. In the shaded spaces II, II, where no useful light passes, lie the vertical supports it, Ito, which support the planes l1, l1, Figure 10, which, when the horizontal axis'of the headlight is tipped very l5 slightly in its position on the automobile, by meansof the usual ball and socket joint 35, Figure 2, completely prevents an approaching observer from viewing any part of the reflecting surface of the reflector II. The planes l1, l1, 2 by virtue of the close spacing of the vertical supports I, lie may be made of extreme-thinness, to avoid light loss due to the sum of their thicknesses. In practice I use spring steel ribbon 2 inches wide and .002 inch thick, and spaced horizontally inch apart. The upper surfaces of each plane or .plate is coated with a suitable mat color, preferably blue, to absorb the red rays impinging upon them by diffusion and by nonhorizontal light pencils due to faults in the sur- 3!) face of commercial parabolic reflectors, and the i size of the lamp filament. By this arrangement of the lens (Figures 11 and 12) the vertical supports i6, lia'obstruct no light. The cup-shaped vertical support holder it, which supports ver- 35 tical ribs Ilia, is punched with the vertical slots l9, l9, Figure 8, which allow the rays 20 to pass outward without light losses while the opaque spacers 20a, 20a serve toshield from sight the vertical supports l6, [6a. 40

The flanged ring |8a is the holder for vertical supports it, and acts also as a stop for the lens Ila which is held against said ring i8a by the spring-ring lib expanded into the containing shell 24, Figure 9.

The reflector I3 is detachably held to the shell 34 by the spring hooks 32, 32a, said hooks being attached to the said shell 34 in the same manner as the spring-hooks 22, 22a are fastened to the shell 2i, Figure 2.

Hooks 32 and 22a hold the reflector to the shell 34 in Figure 9. a

What I claim is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a parabolic reflector, a light located in the focus of said reflector, means to direct substantially all the light beam below a horizontal plane which is substantially at the height of the top of the reflector, said directing means including a lensrwhose rear face is oppositeand adja- 00 cent to the mouth of the reflector, said face being formed of a series of like horizontal ribs, each rib face cross section having the form of half an arc, said are being a segment of a circle of relatively large diameter, the horizontal base of said half an are being the sagitta of said are, and a lightspreading lens located approximately in the vertical plane of the foci of said lens ribs and having a series of like vertical piano-cylindrical prisms facing said reflector, a vertical diaphragm 7,0, located in proximity to said spreading lens having a series of angular-ly disposed relatively nontransparent thin plates crossing the plane of the foci of said lens ribs and having rear'upwardly turned and front downwardly turned flanges, the 7g the sagitta of the arcs of the respective lens ribs.

2. A device of'the character described comprising a parabolic reflector, a light located in the focus of said reflector, means to direct substantially all the lightbeam below a horizontal plane which is substantially at the height of the top an are, said are being a segment of a circle ofrelatively large diameter, the horizontal base of said half an are being the sagitta of said are, and a light-spreading lens located approximately in the vertical plane of the foci of said lens ribs and having a series of like vertical planowylindrical prisms facing said reflector, a vertical diaphragm located in proximity to said spreading lens having a series of angularly disposed relatively non-transparent thin-plates crossing the' plane of the foci of said lens ribs and having rear upwardly turned and front downwardly turned flanges, the edges of which plates coincide with the plane of the sagltta of the arcs of the respective lens ribs the lower plates having front edge extensions inclined outwardly more eifec- J tively to divert non-horizontal light rays upon the road surface.

JOSEPH c.wnrm 

